Roadway



W. M. CAYE Oct; 20, 1936.

ROADWAY Filed Feb. 23, 1935 Q mu m m Z Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in roadways or highways and hasparticular reference to improvements in the turns or curves of saidhighways.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved form ofhighway curve which shall have a greater element of safety than thecurves heretofore developed, which will insure the traiiic following theproper lanes of travel on the curve, and which will permit a greaterbank of the curve without increasing the elevation of the outer side ofthe curve.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention I have illustrated certainembodiments thereof in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is aplan view, more or less diagrammatic, of. a highway curve embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a modification of the section shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a modified form of curve, the sections 3 and 4 being asapplicable to this figure as they are to Fig. 1; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are sections similar to Fig. 3 showing modifications ofthe structure.

In the structure illustrated I have shown a right angle curve, althoughit will be understood that my invention is applicable to any characterof turn, and in Fig. 1 it will be noted that the highway I merges intothe curve 2 which is provided with an inner traffic lane 3 and an outertrafiic lane 4, the curves of these lanes being concentric. In additionto the two lanes 3 and 4 I provide an intermediate or mid-strip 5 whichmay, as shown in Fig. 1, be concentric with the curve of the lanes 3 and4. In Fig. 1 to accomplish this result the highway may be widened as at6 on the inner arc of the curve, or may be widened as at I on the outerarc of the curve to provide trafiic lanes each equal to one-half thenormal width of the highway.

As shown in Fig. 3, the bank of the inner lane 3 extends from the innerarc of the curve upwardly towards the inner arc of the mid-strip. Themidstrip 5 is then flattened and the bank of the outer lane 4 thenextends upwardly and outwardly from the outer edge of the mid-strip tothe outer arc of the curve. The mid-strip may, as shown in full lines inFig. 3, be reversely banked if desired or, as shown at Ben, may behorizontal as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 or if desired may as at5?), be banked as the lanes 3 and 4, the bank, however, being lowered.

As shown in Fig. 4, if desired the banks of the lanes 3 and 4 may beconcaved as shown at 3a and 4a, the mid-strip 5 conforming to theportions 5, 5a or 51) of Fig. 3.

It is obvious, of course, that the banks of the lanes 3 and 4 may bemodified, that is, if desired the bank 3 may be less or greater than thebank 4.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a slightly modified form of my invention,wherein the mid-strip B is not truly concentric with the curve of theinner and outer lanes. In this construction the midstrip merges at itspoints in the straight-away of the highway.

As the result of the provision of the mid-strip in the curve, trafficwill automaticaly follow the correct line of trafiic around the curveinstead of that passing around the outside of the curve bearing in orhugging the inner curve or that passing on the inner curve veering outinto the outer curve.

Furthermore, it will be observed that the outer lane may be built at aconsiderably lower elevation than that at which it would otherwise haveto be built if the entire curve was a continuous bank. This, of course,means that there would not be the tendency to have such a high shoulderon the outer curve which frequently proves dangerous and that at thesame time the bank of both the inner and outer curve may be materiallyincreased without increasing the height or elevation of the outer laneover that now provided in ordinary commercial practice.

It is, of course, obvious that the ends of the lane 5 would be warpedinto the straight-aways in the proper manner to prevent bumps orunnecessary shoulders at the approach.

While I have shown and described a highway wherein only two trafiiclanes are provided, it is understood that the number of lanes may bemultiplied in accordance with the amount of traffic.

I claim as my invention:

1. A trafiic highway including a curve comprising a plurality ofsubstantially parallel traffic lanes each banked towards the outer arcof the curve and an intermediate trafiic carrying strip between saidlanes, the angle of inclination of said strip being less than the angleof inclination of the banked traific lanes.

2. A trafiic highway including a curve comprising a plurality ofsubstantially parallel traffic lanes each banked towards the outer arcof the curve, and an intermediate strip between said lanes, said stripbeing reversely banked.

3. A traflic highway including a curve comprissucceeding lane by atraific carrying portion hav: ing an inclination less than the angle ofinclina tion' of the lanes.

5. A trafiic highway including a curve comprising a plurality ofsubstantially parallel traffic lanes each banked toward the outer arc"of f the curve and connected by an intermediate traffic carrying portionhaving an angle of inclination diiierent from that of theitraific lanesand merg- 'ing into said lanes at an angle sufiiciently small so as tovoffer no obstruction to the passage of traffic onto'said strip from onelane-or the other.

6. A traffic highway including a curve comprismg an inner lane bankedtoward the outer arc 'trafii'c onto said intermediate strip.

of the curve, a connecting portion merging into said inner lane anddisposed at an angle of inclination less than that of the inner lane,and an outer lane banked toward the outer substantially parallel curveand merging into said connecting portion, the angle formed between saidconnection portion and the traflic lanes being sufliciently small topermit a vehicle wheel to pass thereon from either lane unobstructed.

7. A trafiic highway including a curve comprising a plurality of trafficlanes eachbanked toward the outer arc of the curve and connected by anintermediate traffic bearing portion havingan angle of inclinationdifferent from that of the traffic lanes and merging into said lanes atan obtuse angle. I

8. A 'traffic highway including a curve compris- 5 ing a plurality oftraffic lanes each banked toward the outer arc of the curve andconnected by an intermediate trafiic portion having an angle ofinclination different from that otthe' traffic lanes and merging intosaidlanes at an angle sufficiently small to'offer noHobstruction tolthepassage .or

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